The lifting of the curtain

Summary: It was to be a simple task, a simple ride, and an easy day. They had all told him that, everyone he had asked, but still he could not be sure.

Chapter 1

It was to be a simple task, a simple ride, and an easy day. They had
all told him that, everyone he had asked, but still he could not be
sure. But surely they knew more than him, and he was a fool. If so, he
would never be happier in his life to be such a fool.

As he rode ahead of the wagon upon which the supplies for fort Gaurav
rested, with the column of twenty mounted soldiers riding around it,
these thoughts raced through the mind of Junior Officer Steffanes
Ingriade. The sky was dark, and steady rainfall beat down upon them, the
grim and featureless nature of the rolling plains through which they
journeyed doing little to raise the general mood. His horse was quiet
under him, trotting along without a care in the world. No one spoke, or
made any kind of noise, the bleakness of their surroundings making all
in the company melancholy, and wishing for little more than the food and
bed that awaited them at the fort.

Less than a month ago, Steffanes had been sworn in as a junior
officer in the royal army of Gardena. His training, his father said, was
done, and as a man of eighteen it was high time he began his career in
service to his kingdom, as those of the Ingriade blood had done for
countless generations. It hadn’t been hard to arrange a set of arms and a
well forged sword for him, the sword being given a fancy name that
Steffanes kept forgetting. Then it was oaths and vows under a starry
window, and he was a “Sir”, sent out to join the battalion that his
father had picked out for him. He was to be part of the Aretesen
Company, thus repaying a favour their commander, Colonel Derhn, owed his
father.

As if by some cruel, or perhaps kind, twist of fate, his acceptance
into the army came on the same day that the war with Hoilletan ceased.
For a year, fighting had raged across the borders of the two nations,
with reports of great battles being fought across the Roudeson
river-ford. Yet the two armies, it seemed, had grown weary, so a truce
had been made.

Of course, no one on either side was under any illusion that this was
a lasting peace. As his father had told him, in way of reassurance, the
exchange of prisoners and lines drawn on maps was ultimately
meaningless. War would come again, and it was only the matter of a few
years or so. But for now, at least, there was to be a lull in military
activity, as both sides would take this time to re-arm, and plan for the
next conflict.

Yet this did not mean that Steffanes was to be spared hard duty, as
it did not befit young officers to be idle. It was this that had brought
him to the north, along the borders of Gardena and the unsettled
territory colloquially referred to as the “Badlands”. It was harsh,
frontier country, in which few dared to settle long. The only real
permanent settlement was Milgrey, a large walled town at the convergence
of three small rivers, where those who owned small farms and trading
posts around the countryside retreated to in times of severe danger.
That danger was now upon these lands again, and so the troops of Gardena
came north.

In every war between Hoilettan and Gardena that was recorded in
history, there was a great rise in bandit activity all across their two
realms. Usually formed out of deserters from both armies, mingled with
thieves, poachers and other outcasts of society, loose groups of these
bandits would take advantage of the attention of the two countries
armies being occupied with war, and roamed around where they willed,
raiding farms, villages, and occasionally being bold enough to try and
storm small towns. As the wars dragged on, their menace would grow,
which sometimes served to bring about peace. At wars end however, most
would disperse, with many who had been part of the raiding parties
eventually being caught and hanged.

However in this region, one group had grown large and bold enough to
not simply fade away when the war ended. They still ran riot through the
countryside, and their numbers were quite vast compared to other bandit
hordes. Calls from the chief marshal of Milgray made to them to stand
down had been met with messengers coming back as bodies tied to their
horses, and a posse made up of local stout folk had been beaten back
with heavy losses. As such, it fell to the army to rout them, so to
allow the people to return to peaceful lives. It was up to Steffanes’s
platoon to escort supply wagons to the three large forts in the area,
from which the scouting troops would strike out in pursuit of the
bandits.

Steffanes looked behind him, observing the sullen looks of the troops
under his command. They were all older than him, with some surely past
their thirtieth year. He hadn’t learned any of their names, and they
only knew him as “J.O Ingriade”. They had all fought in the war, with
some carrying distinct scars on their faces. None met his eyes, only
staring forward as their grim ride continued.

“What business have I got being in command here?” Steffanes thought.
Although it had been clear since he was a child that a life in command
of men was his destiny, Steffanes had never truly felt comfortable with
the idea that his birth alone made it so that he was valued above
others, many of whom may be as, or even more capable than he. He would
have been happy to be held back, to have had to earn his rank after a
year or two of service. Instead, it had been thrust upon him, and all
the responsibilities that came with it.

The lives of every man and woman riding behind him were in his hands,
and the fact that they looked to a teenager to get them out of trouble
filled Steffanes with great dread. Oh he had been well trained of
course; all of his instructors praised his skill with a sword, as well
as his knowledge regarding tactics and proper management of troops. But
how well would that training serve him, if the worst where to happen?

The oldest of his men, who Steffanes knew as sergeant Kinloch, rode
up beside him. Paunchy, past forty with greying hair and beard, but
still strong and able, Kinloch leaned over to him and spoke softly, as
to keep their talk private.

“J.O ingriade, sir, May I be so bold as to make a personal remark?”
was the whisper from Kinloch, his tone friendly enough, if a little
hesitant.

“Well, sir, it’s just that…” The older man seemed to be being held
back by something. Steffanes hoped it wasn’t his lower rank that made
the man so nervous about being open with him.

“Well, it’s that I fought with your honoured father sir, the noble lord Celas Ingriade. In fact, I owe him my life.”

Steffanes now gave the man beside him his full attention. “Is that
so?” He asked Kinloch, his eyes wide. His father hardly spoke of his own
battles, so to hear from someone who had stories to tell was a rare
treat for him.

“Aye sir”, Continued Kinloch, as his previous hesitance left him, his
speech becoming more free and expressive. “It was at The Bronzine
marsh, must be twenty years ago now. I was just a raw recruit then,
hadn’t seen much in the way of action. Your father was leading my unit
through the marsh, on our way to reinforce the siege of Karmilen.”

“As it turned out, the Hoilletan’s found our trail, and came upon us
right there in the bog. First we knew of it was the volley of arrows,
and by the time we’d lowered our shields they were practically atop of
us. I could swear they came from all sides, but I only saw the ones
bearing right down on atop of me”

“I confess, I froze in my fear, and could not move”. Kinloch’s voice
became sad at that, and for a moment he bowed his head again. Steffanes
began to fear that the old soldier would not continue his tale, before
Kinloch raised his head again, his face bearing a brighter expression.

“ So it was I fell into the mud, face first, right as the one leading
this band of Hoilletan’s, a great brute of a knight with horns on his
helmet, ran at me. In a flash, I got to my hands and knees and looked
up. There he was, lifting his sword above his head, looking down on me
with murder in his eyes. I was sure that my life was at an end”

“Then sir, then it was that I saw your father. He ran right at that
brute, and grabbed him by the throat with both hands. He was half of his
foe’s size, but still lord Celas threw him down, right on the mud. The
man tried to get back up, but your father was too quick. Drawing his
sword, he drove its point right through the gap in the proud knight’s
armour, slaying him in one blow.”

“I was cowering, in awe of what I had just seen. I lowered my gaze,
not wishing Lord Celas to see me. Then, I felt a soft touch on my
shoulder, as if someone was comforting me. Looking up, I saw your father
again sir, and his face was so, so kind. He offered me his hand, and
without him needing to say a word, I took it, and stood proud on my feet
again.”

“The fight was over soon after that. The Hoilletans had seen their
leader slain, and lacked the heart to fight on. Besides that, they saw
that your father was a truly powerful warrior, and none of them felt
they stood a chance against him. So it was they broke and ran sir,
before they did any real damage to our column”

“It is for this, sir, that since then I have owed your father a debt
greater than can ever be repaid.” With those words, Kinloch finished his
tale.

Steffanes did not know what to say, much less how to really feel,
after hearing such a story from Kinloch, a man whom he was meant to give
orders too. He felt that he couldn’t risk offending the poor man by
saying nothing, as it had taken Kinloch great courage to open up to his
superior like he had. The boy in him wanted the old soldier to tell more
tales, as he was sure Kinloch had much more to tell. But he knew that
he had to try to maintain some level of authority. He was in command
here, after all.

But then a question came to his mind, one that he knew no rank or authority could keep him from asking.

Turning to his sergeant, he asked, with the sincerity one would ask
an old friend “Sergeant, do I remind you of my father, in the
slightest?”

Kinloch’s immediate reaction to this question did not fill Steffanes
with any kind of joy. The older man looked like a deer caught in the
sights, and he was audibly spluttering, as he tried to come up with an
answer as quick as he could.

“He wants to tell me what he thinks I want to hear,” Steffanes
thought. “That I am my father’s very Image, and am truly destined to be
as great as he. But he can’t bring himself to lie, nor can he say what
he really thinks.”

To spare the older man any more anxiety, Steffanes spoke up. “You
don’t have to say it, so I’ll say it for you. No, I don’t remind you of
my father. I may look like him, I may wear his hand me-down armour, but I
don’t look like someone who can save a life, or inspire people like he
can. I’m just a green young boy who has no right to-“

“My Lord Ingriade, you give yourself too harsh a scolding!”

The shout from Kinloch truly startled Steffanes. Some of the troops
behind him looked up, themselves roused by their sergeant’s sudden
outburst.

“I um, what do y-you mean?”, Steffanes gasped, trying to find a quick
response. For now, he was the true embodiment of a boy of eighteen.

Kinloch seemed to temper his fury, though there was none of his
earlier awkwardness. Steffanes could swear he felt a kind of pity in the
older man’s eyes, the kind of pity a patient tutor would give to an
earnest young boy, who try as he might, could not be able to get the
right answer.

His tone again becoming confidential, Kinloch answered his commanders
awkward stumbling’s. “ My lord, I mean that you put yourself down for
things you cannot help. It is true that you are young, and that all here
know more of war than you. But it was the same for your father, even
when I first saw him.”

Steffanes could find no answer for this. He simply stared at Kinloch, allowing the old soldier to carry on.

“ I’ll confess sir, that I did not think much of your father when I
first saw him. Woe to this army thought I, which would send honest men
and women to be led by pampered snobs. But of course, Lord Celas proved
me wrong, and from there became one of Gardena’s finest soldiers.”

At that, Kinloch turned his face fully to Steffanes, and the young
lord could see that there was a broad smile on that bearded face.

“ Your father must have felt as you do, and yet he found his way.
Don’t worry about reminding people of him, just think of what you can
do. A moment will occur where your true worth will be needed. If you are
bold, they say, it comes to you.”

“Sergeant Kinloch.”

The tone in Steffanes voice brought the older man back to himself.
His face became nervous, worried that his commander would reprimand him
for speaking out of line. In his haste to reassure the young lord, he
had quite broken rank, and Kinloch knew that there where repercussions
for that.

“ Yes Sir!” Kinloch declared immediately. Sitting tall in his saddle, He raised his right arm in salute to his superior.

To his surprise, he saw the young lord laugh. Steffanes bent over in
his saddle, clutching his sides. Kinloch could not make sense of it at
all, and for a moment he thought his commander mad.

Ceasing his laughter, it was Steffanes’s turn to give a warm smile. “
Sergeant Kinloch, thank you” said the young officer, with unguarded
warmth. “ From now on, you need not ask my permission to make any
personal remark again”

Kinloch motioned to speak again, but before he could, his eyes latched on to what was ahead of them on the road.

“ Hark now my lord! Look ahead! “ Kinloch shouted.

Steffanes turned , and now he knew what faced them on the road.
Walking straight towards them at a slow pace, about a hundred meters
away from Kinloch and Steffanes, a group of twenty or so armed men and
women where making their way along the road. They were clearly not
soldiers, and by the large sacks slung over most of their backs, and the
tattered and wild nature of their garb, Steffanes instantly knew them
for bandits.

It was then that Steffanes could see that the bandits had seen him
and his soldiers. They stopped in their tracks, for now unsure of what
to do. They clearly had not expected anyone besides them to be on this
road, least of all Gardenan troops.

“ Shall we ride them down sir?” Asked Sergeant Kinloch, as his hand reached for his blade.

For a moment, Steffanes considered what to do. Then he declared “ No,
The ground is too muddy, our horses shall fall if we charge.”

Turning around he shouted “ Driver Stop the cart! The rest of you,
dismount and tie your horses to the chart. We form a shield wall on me!”

In almost not time at all, Steffanes’s orders were carried out. The
cart stopped, and every soldier dismounted and tied their horses to its
sides. Before he could even blink, they were standing ten to each of his
side, their shields raised as they faced the bandits with him. They
formed a kind of semi- circle, doing all they could to guard the way to
the cart behind them. Kinloch was beside him on his right, his face
steely and determined.

It seemed for a moment like the world had stopped, as the two sides
faced each other. Then a cry, some shouts, and the bandits charged
forth, weapons in hand. The Gardenan soldiers kept their shields raised,
their feet planted firmly to the muddy ground.

Then one of them threw what looked like a javelin as she ran, with an
aim as sharp as any of the soldiers of Gardena. It flew straight for
Steffanes’s shield, and in a moment it hit, right in its centre. The
point sunk deep into the steel, and Steffanes found that he could barely
keep it lifted.

With no time to pull the javelin out, Steffanes did what he had been
trained to do, and threw his shield down. Grasping his sword with both
of his hands, he took a step forward.

The bandits where upon them now, with the bulk of them hitting the
shield wall. With their maces and swords, they swung down upon the line
of steel before them. The soldiers did not waver, keeping their
discipline as they stabbed through the tiny gaps in their line.

Yet one faced Steffanes, a large axe in her hands. She was a fairly
tall young woman, broad of shoulder, who wore no armour, simply breeches
and a rough cotton shirt. Her angular face was twisted in anger, and
she wore her black hair in a long ponytail.

With a cry of rage, she lifted her axe over her head, and ran
straight for Steffanes. The instance before he reached him, the young
officer simply turned one step out of her way, letting his opponents
momentum take her past him. She stumbled slightly as she brought her axe
down on thin air.

Taking his opportunity, Steffanes swung his sword down on her with
full force. Yet the bandit was quick, swiftly turning about while bent
down, and brought her axe up hilt first to shield against his blow.
Steffanes struck the wood, and for an instant, the two of them matched
their strengths, pushing against the others weapon.

Steffanes found the Bandits strength near enough a match for his, and
could not force her axe down. Both were breathing hard, straining all
their efforts at each other. Suddenly, he felt her make a swift kick for
his shins, and instinctively backed away. Seizing her chance, the
bandit got back to her feet, and before he knew it, she was swinging her
axe at him again, this time in a right-hand sideways sweep.

Rather than dodge, Steffanes raised his sword to parry the blow away.
The bandit yelled, and swung again, this time striking from Steffanes’s
left. Again he parried, and then made his own move, swinging his blade
at her legs. She in turn parried his strike, and turned his blade
upwards with her axe. Raising her weapon above her head once again, she
prepared to strike a killing blow.

Yet this is precisely what Steffanes had anticipated. As she raised
her axe, he bent over slightly, keeping his sword gripped under him. In
the moment she brought her weapon down, he dodged it, only slightly this
time, and forced his blade forward in an upward thrust.

He struck her stomach, point first, and his blade sank through his
opponent’s woollen shirt into her flesh. He felt the bandit slump
against his shoulder as she fell, dropping her axe, his sword lodged
inside of her. Blood came out of her mouth, and a droplet landed on his
shoulder. Drawing his blade back, he shook her off of him, letting his
foe collapse to the floor.

He looked down open her as she turned her body to face him. Her left
hand was on the gaping wound he had made, blood freely flowing from it.
She looked up at him, her face a mask of vain defiance.

“ A pox on you, and all Gardena”, sounded the groan from her lips as
her life ebbed away, her head slumping down as her breath stopped.

Without knowing why he did so, Steffanes knelt down over her, and
placed his hand over her eyes, closing them. He felt he should say a
prayer of some sort, but he did not know the right words. So instead, he
simply whispered “Go in peace”.

Rising to his feet, he suddenly became aware of his surroundings
again. Turning to the directions the bandits had come from, he saw that
some of them were now fleeing, dropping their sacks in their haste to
get away. Directing his gaze back towards his men, he saw that all
remained standing. Lying before their still raised shields, nine or so
of the bandits where dead.

Kinloch approached his commander, the blood from the bandit he had killed now being washed away by the rain.

“ They’ve retreated sir, and all our men are safe and sound. Shall we pursue?”

Steffanes motioned to speak, but then he felt himself choke on his
words, and stumble on his feet. He was now all too aware of just how
much he was sweating, how heavily he was breathing. His heart has
thumping in his chest fit to burst, and Steffanes held his hand to his
breastplate.

Then he felt Kinloch’s hand on his shoulder. Turning his face up,
Steffanes could see that the old man had a look of concern on his face.

Placing his hand on Kinloch’s shoulders, he smiled, his chest beginning to subside as if soothed by the old man’s presence.

“ I’m fine Kinloch”, Steffanes Reassured his sergeant, in a low tone
so the other soldiers would not hear. “ Just a bit fatigued, that’s
all.”

Taking his hand off Kinloch’s shoulder, he stepped forward, in the
direction of his troops. Without a word, he raised his sword into the
air. As he had hoped, they all cheered, heartened that their commander
was alright and proclaiming their victory.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Steffanes spoke,
addressing all of them in the best authoritative voice he could muster.

“ I need eight of you to dig a few graves, and bury the bodies. Six
of you, inspect the sacks that they dropped, find out what it was they
had stolen. The rest of you, stay with the horses. I want us ready to
ride again in less than an hour, we still need to reach the fort by
nightfall”

Without hesitation, the soldiers began following his orders. With a
speed that surprised Steffanes, they organized themselves into three
separate groups, with some dragging the bodies away, others walking
towards the carts, and a small few standing by the horses.

Kinloch made a move to go and help the soldiers, but Steffanes,
seeing this, ordered “ Stay here Kinloch, I need to speak with you.”

As Kinloch approached him, Steffanes began to drop his mask of
authority. He lowered his head slightly, a sense of melancholy coming
over him.

The old sergeant did not sense this, smiling at the young officer. “ I
must say, well fought sir. Truly, your father taught you well.”

Not even raising his head, Steffanes, in barely more than a mumble, said “ Thank you, sergeant.”

Kinloch now sensed what was going through the young man’s mind. “
Your first kill, I don’t doubt?” The old man asked in a soft voice.

A nod from Steffanes was Kinloch’s answer. He sighed, and said calmly
“ All I can say, my lord, is that you’ll never get used to it. But over
time, it gets less hard to deal with. It-“

“ It comes to you?” Kinloch was interrupted, and as he was cut off he
saw Steffanes raise his head. The young man’s tone was mocking, but not
spiteful, and Kinloch could see a faint smile on his lips.

The old sergeant paused, then in a moment gave a faint smile. “ Aye, as you say so, my lord.”

snowview03:
This is the first book I have read on this app and I loved it! When I read the title I thought about the hunger games, but this novel is so much more. Some book have a comparison between other books that fallow like premises so i will do my own: Arena has the compellingly emotional stresses and t...

mray2174:
I did like this story. I would totally recommend it to a friend, but it didn't seem like a book. Your writing style reminded me of a fan fiction writer, always adding in tiny details and making things like "Oh, my name is [name that no one would ever name a child] and here is my life story. Oh, d...

William Elliott Kern:
Interesting Story, with Jacob, the second Son of Baron Ironwood to learn his duties, provide his numbers and prepare for marriage to Anna......Along the way, the wise Monk, Francis came to Ironwood, filled the ears of Jacob with hope and positive direction, a gift for Jacob well needed. The Stor...

Kevin Brand:
My overall rating: 4.8/5 starsLoved. Every. Second. Everytime I came back to continue reading I got this overwhelming feeling of getting hooked on the first sentence... Over and over and again!The only things that were missing for me include more descriptions on what happens when Reuben touches s...

Jason Phang:
I'm pretty new to Inkitt (this is only my 4th book) and I must say I've been thoroughly impressed by the quality of the authors here. Remnants of Chaos is an excellently written book that hooks the reader, and doesn't let go. There are some grammatical and typographical errors, but nothing too se...

debmart6901:
I could not put this story down. I stayed up reading when I should have been in bed. could not get enough, could not wait to find how it ended. Great story telling. Great detail. Loved it. The characters were very vivid.

Warren Bull:
I thought this was a fast=paced thriller with elements of several other genres woven seamlessly in. It hooked me early and held my attention throughout. I liked the humor and surprises along the way. I really enjoyed the novel. I am not a big fan of romances or paranormal works,but when those ele...

Other Collections

About Us:

Inkitt is the world’s first reader-powered book publisher, offering an online community for talented authors and book lovers. Write captivating stories, read enchanting novels, and we’ll publish the books you love the most based on crowd wisdom.